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May 29, 2008A treasure trove of newly acquired photographs from the A. M. Kendrick Collection will offer a unique and compelling view of daily life in vast stretches of Eastern Washington and Idaho over a span of nearly 50 years.

The images depict early agricultural techniques in the Big Bend region, interiors and exteriors of retail and commercial businesses, towns, street scenes and Kendrick's early photographs of the Northern Idaho wilderness and a look at general day to day life on the farm.

Kendrick was born in Northport, Washington on Aug. 23 1896, and moved to Ritzville in 1935. From 1935 until his death in 1976, Kendrick was the area’s main portrait and studio photographer. The majority of the collection consists of over 9000 4x5 and 5x7 negatives, and photo prints in various sizes. The images that pre-date 1930 are either copy negatives created by Kendrick after he arrived in Ritzville in 1935, or experimental photos taken by Kendrick in northern Idaho and northeast Washington as a teenager, 1912-1920.

The collection will be searchable on the Digital Archives in stages, beginning with the general historical part of the collection _ about 1,360 images _ that features farm scenes, towns, businesses, churches, and other material. The next phase will consist of Kendrick's portrait work, including families, weddings, school sports, class graduations, choirs, and more. Before coming to the Washington State Archives in Cheney, WA, the collection was at the Adams County Rural Library District No. 2 (formerly Ritzville Public Library) in the city of Ritzville.